


The Night Nurse

by Enscora



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome Karen Page, Claire Temple is So Done, Eventual Romance, F/M, Human Disaster Matt Murdock, Hurt Matt Murdock, Matt Murdock Needs a Hug, Nurses & Nursing, Protective Matt Murdock, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:08:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23683654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enscora/pseuds/Enscora
Summary: Reader is a nurse who moved to Hell's Kitchen for a fresh start. She quickly befriends Claire who works in the emergency department with her and their lives quickly get tangled up with Daredevil and his shenanigans. Lots of catholic guilt, sexual tension and poorly written romance is likely to show up so consider yourself warned. ;)
Relationships: Matt Murdock & Reader, Matt Murdock/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	1. Coffee: A Public Menace

**Author's Note:**

> I've written my fair share of fanfiction but this is the first time I've considered posting it so please be gentle. I'm trying to follow along with the events of Season One of the show but I'm likely to miss something or change things up depending on where the story goes so try and stick with it. :)
> 
> Any feedback would be amazing!

“You’ve chosen a wonderful time to look at properties in New York!” A slender woman wearing an olive-green power suit chirped, her pearly teeth catching the sun in a distracting way.

The woman she was talking to shifted on her feet, a blister on the side of her left foot rubbing painfully against the canvas of her shoe. Her eyes followed the realtor as she danced around the empty apartment, her manicured nails drew attention to the freshly painted walls. She tried her best to present the best of the apartment but the woman couldn’t help but notice the flaws with the place; the small patch of damp in the corner of the bathroom, the crooked cabinet door in the kitchen, the chipped paintwork on the bedroom skirting boards… Regardless, she knew she would be signing the lease with a polite smile plastered on her face. 

After all, the apartment was only on the market because of the aliens that tumbled out of the sky – she could hardly afford to be picky. Out of the dozens she’d viewed, this one was certainly the nicest and the affordable rent had been the cherry on top. She already liked the teal wallpaper in the kitchen and spotted some space on the small balcony where she could store the larger of her potted plants. The only thing that gave her pause was the neighbourhood, the reputation of Hell’s Kitchen was enough to scare any single woman away. Oddly enough, one of the reassuring aspects about moving there was the madman running around in a black mask – carrying out vigilante justice. The thought crossed her mind while the realtor was talking about the ‘quaint little café nestled on the corner of the street’ when she had to repress a smile. She didn’t quite manage it and the bemused expression caught the realtor’s attention. 

“Have you had enough time to make a decision or would you like me to arrange another viewing?” The woman waved her hand as she shook her head, apologising for her weird display. 

“No, I adore this place. I feel like it’s a good fit for me, close enough to the hospital so my daily commute won’t take up a lot of time… Plus that café seems like it’s worth checking out!” The mention of the café was enough to soften the realtor’s face again as she began rummaging through her leather briefcase.  
She retrieved a clipboard with an assortment of papers attached to the front and handed them to the woman along with a green pen decorated with the logo of the letting agency. ‘Coordinating the colour of her suit with the pen… cute.’ She flipped through the letting agreement absently, taking in the key notes before signing next to the conveniently placed (green) post it notes. She felt the realtor watch her scribble away with palpable enthusiasm and imagined business must be quite slow as of late. She remembered the bemused tone of the receptionist when she called to make the appointment and googled the city as she spoke, quickly connecting the dots. Hell’s Kitchen truly embodied the name but that wasn’t enough to scare her away. She returned the clipboard (also green) and admired the genuine smile that pinched the apples of the woman’s cheeks. 

“Thank you so much for considering this place! I’ll shoot back to the office and get this processed for you and I’ll call you as soon as I hear back from the landlord.” She reached out and offered her hand to the potential tenant and she accepted promptly. 

“Thank you for showing me the place, I look forward to hearing from you!” She tried to match the enthusiasm of the realtor but knew she was fighting a losing battle. 

…

She found herself living among boxes for the first week, struggling to find time between working to unpack her life and organise it in a way that wouldn’t annoy her. She was in the process of fighting with some flat-pack furniture when her mobile phone buzzed in her pocket. She let the screwdriver in her hand clatter to the floor as she rummaged through her back pocket. In this new climate, she concluded that it was either her mother or Claire from work. She was visibly relieved when she saw Claire’s name written on her phone screen.

“Are you still unpacking?” No greeting, straight to the point. 

“Yes, how did you know?” She tried to mask the amusement in her voice, still petering on the edge of professionalism with her new friend. 

“I could feel your self-loathing from here so I figured I’d come over and help out.” A giggle escaped then before she could stop herself. 

“I really need to work on that… Are you sure you don’t have something more interesting to be doing?” She pictured Claire shaking her head before she realised she was talking on the phone. 

“Unfortunately no, I’m either helping you unpack or babysitting my neighbours cat.” The pair shared a laugh over the phone before arranging to meet for coffee, she hadn’t even realised she was making plans until after the conversation had ended. It was a strange feeling that caused her stomach to knot with nerves despite the fact she’d met before. Something about the casual setting placed an unknown social pressure that always worried her.

She had to splash some water on her face and focus on fixing her hair for ten minutes before she could run out the door and into the bustling street outside. The warm air hit her first and she didn’t feel as anxious anymore, she paused and let the warm rays dance over her skin before taking in a deep breath. She stopped herself from getting carried away, painfully aware of how weird she must look in that moment and set off in the direction of the local café.  
The early morning traffic cluttered the roads and the pavement was bursting with pedestrians. Women in suits carrying much more than their arms were comfortably able to manage and men with their briefcases and sunglasses mingled with mutual distaste of the early hour and the girl weaved through them, desperate not to be late to her first coffee date with Claire. She knew it was still early days on the whole friend front but she liked her company and didn’t want to leave any bad impressions so she wanted this to go well. So her hurried along the street, smiling politely as she skimmed past people. 

A woman with tight curls knotted on the top of her head burst out of one of the apartment buildings nestled between the local shops and ran right into the girl, she reached out in an attempt to grab her arm to steady her but didn’t quite make it in time. The girl opened her mouth to say something but had the wind knocked out of her when she fell into someone else. What felt like a thousand things happened at once but all she was really aware of was the burning sensation prickling at the skin on her arms. Her arms had twisted in front of her and were trapped between her chest and the torso of the person she fell into. She craned her neck to look at them and couldn’t contain the gasp of horror that escaped her. 

He was blind. 

The man she was sprawled on top of was justifiably disorientated as he tried to sit up, his suit jacket restricting the movement of his shoulders. The girl shot up, almost bumping into someone stood closely behind her. She glanced at her arms and then at the man’s shirt and cringed more than she thought possible. Hot coffee, probably freshly brewed had now ruined his white dress shirt. Not to mention the burns he probably had on the skin underneath. She watched, completely horrified, as the man retrieved a white cane before straightening the red glasses perched on his crooked nose. On reflex, she rushed to help him stand, realising somewhere in-between that she was probably the last person in the world he wanted helping him in that moment. Which is why her extended hand lingered in the air for longer than necessary. 

“I am so sorry! I don’t even know what happened! Are you okay?” The girl had to stop herself from asking the poor man a million questions at once. She could feel the blood in her cheeks and could only imagine how red her face had become. 

“Matt, she’s trying to help you up. Don’t be rude.” The man, who she could only assume was Matt, glanced in the direction of the person who spoke and huffed before turning his head back in her direction. The girl moved closer and lightly pressed the back of her hand against his, realising he had no idea how far away she was in relation to himself. She had to fight very hard to ignore the stream of negativity pooling rapidly inside her head, already contemplating packing what few things she had organised and moving back home immediately. 

Surprisingly, the man felt from the back of her hand to the tips on her fingers before grasping her hand firmly. She used her other hand to steady his shoulder as he stood to his feet. He stood much taller than she was but he was definitely broad which explained why her ribs were aching. He shook the hand he held as he straightened his tie with the other. 

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” It took everything she had not to laugh, especially since the delivery was so monotone. She couldn’t tell whether or not he was joking. She decided to attempt to scrape together the remains of her professionalism and returned the gesture. 

“You don’t have to apologise; I was the one who fell into you. Are you alright?” The man who spoke earlier approached the pair and watched the exchange with an amused expression, his shaggy hair catching the sunlight in a nice way. 

“I mean I don’t think my shirt will make it but I’m okay…” He trailed off, a polite smile that reminded the girl of her own pinched his face but it didn’t appear genuine. His eyebrows were drawn together slightly, almost like he was in pain. The girl was not convinced by his answer in the slightest but decided it was best to leave it. 

“What about you? That was a nasty tumble you took; I swear you were in the air for like a solid thirty seconds.” The blind man’s frown deepened further; his lips pinched together. His grip on the girl’s hand tightened before recoiling quickly, she never realised how warm his hand was until it left her own but something about it felt odd. She pressed it to the back of her mind as she went to reply to the polite man. 

“I’m fine, some minor scalding but I’ll live. I didn’t mean to ruin your coffee, I’m on my way to a café to meet someone so I could get some for you guys if you’re not in a rush?” The polite one smiled brightly, tugging his friend’s arm in an excited way before nodding quickly. He extended his arm this time in greeting and the girl accepted, shaking his hand firmly. 

“I’m Franklin Nelson and this is Matthew Murdock, we own the firm a couple of blocks from here! Don’t call me Franklin though, only my folks call me that. Everyone calls me Foggy.” The girl couldn’t help but smile back, Foggy’s smile was contagious. 

“And yes, we would absolutely love some coffee. Thank you for offering!” Foggy being the embodiment of sunshine in that moment only made his friend’s behaviour seem more off and all kinds of warnings were firing at the back of the girl’s mind. Foggy waited, his hand still grasping hers. She almost cocked her head in confusion before she realised why he was lingering on with his greeting. 

“Sorry, I’m _______________. Didn’t mean to leave you hanging there, I’m still a little out of it.” Foggy released her hand before shrugging lightly. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s probably just going to be one of those days. You know, the should have stayed in bed kind of days?” His friend laughed at that, it was small and barely noticeable but it gave the girl a spot of relief. 

With that, the girl turned and walked in the direction of the café, very aware of the entourage trailing behind her. She could hear Foggy whispering something to Matt as the walked but she was unable to make out anything he was saying and she was kind of glad of that fact. She imagined his politeness only extended so far and he was probably checking in with his friend. After all, he was blind and she did charge into him with enough force to wind the poor guy. She figured they were allowed to bitch and would try her very best not to take it personally. When she saw Claire waiting patiently at the entrance of the café she was somehow both relieved and anxious. She caught her eye and prepared for the obvious questions. 

“I was starting to worry, what happened?” Claire asked as her eyes took in the scene before her. Her eyes landed on the blind man behind her friend and she smirked at the large coffee stain. She noticed the veiled embarrassment on her face and decided not to torture her with a million questions while they had company. The jokes could wait. 

“I see you’ve been busy making friends.” The girl laughed, introducing the men before rushing into the café. 

The blind man quickly excused himself while Foggy made himself busy with small talk, asking about their work and how much training they had to do. Claire was polite and chatted away and asked him questions in turn about his training and what made him enter law school in the first place when something clicked inside the girl’s head. She had been half listening when she realised why Matt had been so withdrawn. 

“He might have burned himself worse than I thought…” Claire frowned, unsure of what she was talking about. Foggy chirped up, watching their place in the line as he tried to reassure the girl. 

“You catch on quick, huh. He’s fine, even if he isn’t he will be. Just give him a minute.” She figured this must be common ground between the two of them and was partially reassured but was struggling with the desire to go and check on him. 

“Leave him be, his burns can’t be any worse than yours.” Claire glanced at the girl’s arms before rummaging through her handbag, she retrieved some antibacterial salve and pressed it into her hands. 

“I want that back, it’s not cheap.” The girl nodded before running off to the restroom. 

She entered the small corridor that connected the two restrooms and smiled when she saw the blind lawyer exit the men’s room, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. The coffee stain looked a lot less severe and the white material of the shirt appeared almost transparent where he’d washed it. His suit jacket remained unfastened as he paused in his movements. She hadn’t said anything yet but he’d heard something that made him stop and listen intently. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to catch you off-guard, just wanted to offer you some burn salve.” The girl forced herself to smile, scolding herself again when she realised he couldn’t even see her attempts at acting human. 

“You don’t have to keep apologising, you know.” She wanted to take him at his word and was unsure why she was even questioning it in her mind but the way he said those words didn’t leave her with any comfort. 

“It’s habit at this point, I’m always apologising in my line of work and I’ve not figured out how to switch it off when I’m not at work.” The girl picked at a scab on the side of her thumb, waiting for a reaction. 

‘Why is this so important to me? Why can’t I let this go?’

She could feel her heartbeat pick up in her chest and wondered how’d she’d made it this far in her chosen profession with such a terrible nervous disposition. Someone so eager to please should not be working in a medical field. Her thumb began to ache but her mind didn’t even register the pain of it, she was too busy wading through her own thoughts to realise the man was trying to talk to her. 

“I appreciate the concern but you don’t need to worry, I assure you I’m okay.” She was back in the room, she noticed that he’d taken a step closer as she fumbled with the salve in her hand. She felt like she’d missed half of what he’d said but figured it wouldn’t have made a difference to what her reply would be. She tried to fight the wave of defeat that washed over her but the rejection stung. Helping people was the only thing she considered herself good at. 

“Okay, I’ll stop pestering you… You’d better take the coffee though, that’s where I draw the line.” He laughed then; the first genuine reaction she’d observed since the moment she’d met him. 

His whole face changed, laugh lines at the corner of his eyes crinkled. Even with the shades you could see his eyes gleam a little. His nose seemed sharper as his pearly smile came into view. A bright smile that belonged to someone who didn’t seem to smile an awful lot. She realised it was absurd to make such a sweeping assessment of him after knowing him for less than an hour but she was rarely wrong about these things. She caught herself smiling too, despite herself and she didn’t feel so ridiculous anymore. He placed a hand on her arm as he closed the distance between them. A kind gesture that did surprising things to her body temperature. She was just starting to realise there was a baseline attraction there when she caught a glimpse of red. She looked down at his open jacket and saw a splotch of red on his white shirt. 

Panic surged through her like an electric shock, it was the first time in a while where she’d seen blood and been unsure of what to do. Her automatic instinct to inspect and assess where wrong, this man was a stranger and there was no way the burn she’d sustained could have caused that kind of damage on him. There had to be something else that had caused it but she was in no position to ask. He was not her patient and she was not his nurse. He noticed somehow, whether it be the small gasp that left her lips or the drastic change in atmosphere. He quickly closed his suit jacket and excused himself. When she recovered and tried to follow after him, he saw the blind lawyer practically drag his friend out of the coffee shop. It would have been funny from any other point of view. Claire was sat by the window, watching everything play out with a bemused expression on her face the entire time. When the girl eventually joined Claire at the table, she struggled to put together a sentence. 

“What on earth just happened?”


	2. Fogwell's

The nurse was unable to rid herself of the incident, it clung to her thoughts and plagued her dreams for reason unknown to herself. The whole situation had been strange, the more she replayed the events in her head – the more questions she was left with. Claire was sick of hearing about it despite sharing many of the same concerns about the whole thing. She still made an effort to listen when her friend began to babble, letting her inner monologue tumble out of her mouth.

“It’s the blood that doesn’t sit right, where on earth did it come from?” Claire rolled her eyes before turning her attention to the menu in the hospital cafeteria. 

“Macaroni cheese or tuna salad… This is discrimination at this point, why does the twilight shift always get left with the garbage?” Claire’s tone was incredulous as she snatched a plate of dry looking macaroni, dumping it onto her tray with a defeated expression.

“It couldn’t have been the coffee, right? I mean I was okay and I got scalded on my bare arms! It must have been caused by something else, which means something else horrible happened to him!” Claire reached for another plate of macaroni and placed it on her friend’s tray, along with a can of fizz and a plastic container of fruit.

“You need to drop this, ____________. He is a handsome stranger that you are unlikely to cross paths with again.” The pair swiped their hospital ID cards against the canteen check out before grabbing a table. 

“I wish I could, Claire. Believe me when I say I’m annoying myself at this point.” The nurse let out an exhausted sigh before picking at her food, Claire regarded her with a kind expression as she tried to rationalise her behaviour. 

“Is it because he’s blind or is it because he’s cute?” The nurse was about to look offended before she realised that was ridiculous. She worried away at her bottom lip, unsure of which option was more applicable. 

“Which one makes me seem less shitty?” Claire laughed, her thin shoulders shaking as the giggles escaped her. 

“I mean, he was cute so I’d probably go with that one. He didn’t seem like the type that would want to be pandered to because of his disability.” The nurse was surprised by how much information she’d managed to string together from such a brief interaction. 

“I mean, he didn’t seem overly reliant on his friend so you’re probably onto something there… He was definitely cute though.” Claire smirked; her smug expression made her eyes glisten.

“I knew it, he seems like he would be your type.” The nurse opened her mouth to argue, tried to cast her mind back and find an old crush that didn’t fit the mould and groaned with she came up short.

“God, you are hopeless.” Claire couldn’t help but smile as her friend finally fell silent; maybe she’d struck a nerve and finally gotten through to her or maybe she’d embarrassed her. Either way maybe she’d finally be able to focus on something else.

…

“Fogwell’s Gym…”

The nurse found herself stood before the worn looking entrance of an old gym, faded posters were peeling away from the old wood and the frosted glass panels on the doors had definitely seen better days. Still, the lights were on and she could hear someone pummelling away on a sandbag inside. She tried the door and it opened without much effort so she walked inside; looking for flyers or signs detailing the open times as she went. It was late, she’d taken a detour after work to try and find this place as one of her colleagues had told her about it when they heard she was looking for a gym to join. As she walked through the small entrance way she realised she would just have to bite the bullet and ask whoever was inside so she pressed on, approaching the second set of doors as quietly as she could. The sounds coming from the sandbag grew louder as she approached until suddenly they stopped altogether. 

The silence made her halt her movements completely, her own breathing unsettling her. She listened as someone approached from the other room, their shadow growing larger as they walked closer until a wrapped hand, damp with sweat, settled on the frame of the door. The hinges groaned as the stranger opened the door to reveal someone who wasn’t a stranger at all. 

“Mr. Murdock?” The blind lawyer didn’t relax, his posture was aggressive – shoulders squared, legs parted and slightly bent at the knee.

“It’s me, the idiot from the café who gave you second degree burns?” The nurse spoke quietly, not entirely believing her own words despite knowing they were true. It took longer than she expected but he eventually relaxed a fraction and took a breath, fixing that polite smile on his face again.

“Sorry, you had me spooked for a minute there. I’m not used to anyone else being here this late.” The lawyer felt along his chest, his fingers searching for something on the neck of his jumper. She realised then that he wasn’t wearing his glasses, her eyes searched the gym behind him and spotted the red shades on a wooden bench next to a worn backpack. 

The nurse placed her hands on the man’s shoulders, steadying him as she squeezed past. She jogged to the bench and retrieved the glasses; acting without thinking as the possibility of overstepping boundaries entered her head. Her eyes squeezed shut in frustration as she turned on her heel, the lawyer was already walking towards her, hand ready to accept her kind gesture.

“Sorry… Here! I didn’t mean to just barge in like that, I promise I’m not completely ignorant.” The lawyer laughed, taking his glasses and fixing them on his face before shrugging.

“Hey, it’s a public place. I can hardly stop you from coming in here.” His voice was calm and steady with undertones of an accent she couldn’t place, pleasant to her ears.

“I know but you were in a zone and I just barged in and started touching your stuff without asking.” The girl laughed nervously as she began to pick at the skin on her thumb once more, feeling like an idiot for being so thoughtless.

“You mean well, the kindness comes across so I wouldn’t be overly critical about that.” Relief flooded through her body and the panic began to dwindle, she tried to focus more on the conversation rather than the situation.

“Thanks, I’ve been told I can be a little overbearing so I’m trying to work on it. It’s how I do my job well but I can’t keep using that as an excuse to act like a weirdo.” The lawyer tilted his head to the side slightly, his lips pressed together firmly. It appeared like he was listening intently when he had absolutely no reason to.

“It’s endearing, trust me. Anyway, I don’t think you came here to talk to me, you probably want to know more about this place.” There was no question in his voice, he spoke with a specific kind of certainty that the nurse imagined only belonged to those who were used to choosing their words carefully.

“Yeah, I heard this place was perfect for people who work late. I tried other places closer to home but they all close before I finish work so my options are pretty limited.” The lawyer regarded her with a serious expression, he crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke.

“Are you able to get home safely?” His question caught her by surprise, she nodded before cursing softly. 

“Yes, I mean I can take care of myself so I’m not overly worried about the commute.” The lawyer was unconvinced but decided at some point that overstepping with this relative stranger would probably do more harm than good, despite the bizarre circumstance.

“If you’re sure then I’ll drop it… Well, this place is open till ten o’clock usually but I know the owner and he lets me come in a little later so I can have the place to myself.” The nurse checked her fob watch and realised it was half past ten.

“Damn it, I never realised how much I’d miss gyms being open all night until I moved here. I suppose I’ll have to try and find a class in the morning before work or something.” The nurse sighed, fiddling with the strap on her gym bag. The lawyer shook his head, his amused expression taunting her.

“I can have a word with the manager and ask if you’d like?” The nurse opened her mouth to protest, her pulse slowly picking up at the thought of putting him out once again.

“It wouldn’t be any trouble.” The man his polite smile with something a little warmer and it helped put the nurse at ease. She was quickly realising how stubborn this man was and imagined she’d have an easier time just agreeing with him at this point – which in itself was dangerous.

“Only if you’re sure.” The nurse wished he wasn’t wearing those glasses, she found it much easier to get a read on people when she could see their eyes clearly. 

“Absolutely.” As if on cue, light bounced off the red lens of his glasses as he moved his head as if to mock her.


	3. The Devil's Advocate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Human Disaster: Matthew Murdock

It was a revolving door of misery in the emergency department, the nurse was on hour thirteen of her shift and had only managed to squeeze in a fifteen-minute break. She had never met this many Russian men in her entire life up until that point but one after the other they were wheeled into the building. The injuries were extensive, ranging from head trauma to compound fractures. The girl was in the middle of wiping down a man’s face, trying to clear the gore so she could see his injuries better when a debate on the news caught her attention.

‘This man in black is something of a local celebrity now, isn’t he?’ The nurse listened intently, unsure why they were discussing the man on the local news when there was clearly something else happening that involved the Russian mafia. Claire had been quick to mention the prevalence of gang violence in Hell’s Kitchen not long after she’d started so she wasn’t naive to the subject matter.

‘I wouldn’t go that far; he’s a dangerous individual and I for one don’t feel comfortable walking the streets while he is out there.’ The man before her began to stir beneath her touch but she couldn’t ease up yet. She was sure he had an orbital fracture on his left side but couldn’t be sure how serious it was until she sent the man for an x-ray. She applied some fresh gauze to the larger wound on his cheek in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

‘I feel much safer, especially after hearing about those women on the docks a few weeks back. I don’t even want to think about what might have happened to them if he hadn’t intervened.’ Her hands paused for a moment; a look of distaste deepened the frown on her face before she could stop herself. Had this man been involved with the trafficking of those women? For a minute she considered this possibility, tried to imagine how frightened they must have been before that man rescued them. She returned to her work, deciding then that she might like this man in black.

‘The police haven’t confirmed anything regarding that incident.’ The nurse was unsure why they weren’t discussing the trafficking in more detail, it bothered her that some of the reporters cared more about the scandal of a vigilante than they did about violence against women. They were sensationalising everything associated with the man in black which was why the nurse had avoiding reading about him. As long as he was out there doing some good then she was all for it. 

‘Of course they wouldn’t, why would they want to address something like that publicly?’ The man spoke in a language she couldn’t understand, unsure whether it was Russian or something else – she was in no position to say one way or the other. He was flinching and crying out at everything she did until eventually he got to his feet, pushing the nurse away with force. She held her hands up and kept her distance, watching as he limped through the automatic doors. The nurse pulled off her gloves and apron as she dumped all of the soiled dressings into an orange bag. She heard Claire then, relieved to hear a friendly voice. 

“How many is that for you?” Claire looked less put together than she usually did, her dark hair damp with sweat.

“Five but I’m done now. I don’t think I can take much more of this today.” Claire nudged her friends arm, plastering a grin across her face in an almost convincing way.

“You still did better than me, I had all eight guys walk out midway through treatment. I have no idea how though, most of them came in looking like they were on death’s door.” The pair laughed softly as they both set off in the direction of the changing rooms.

“My guys didn’t look much better to be fair, they all had fractures and extensive bleeding that none of them would let me treat properly.” Claire shrugged, peeling off her scrubs then generously applying deodorant.

“They probably didn’t have any insurance besides they probably didn’t want to police getting their hands on them. They’ve got that guy on their case for some reason…” The girl scoffed, doing a quick count in her head before shaking her head.

“You’re trying to tell me that one man did all of this? I knew he’d clashed with them before but this is… I can’t believe it.” The nurse pulled on her gym gear, frowning when she caught the time on her watch. 

“I wouldn’t risk the trip tonight; we can share a cab home. I don’t want to get caught up in any of this mess.” The nurse nodded in agreement, closing her locker door with more force than necessary.

Claire noticed but figured the girl was just tired, she certainly was. She was struggling to keep herself upright and was unsure as to how her friend would have managed at the gym in her current state. Then she remembered their conversation over the phone and realised why she might have been so eager to return. 

“If that lawyer has any sense, he won’t be there either.” She’d been right, Matthew Murdock had much more pressing concerns to attend to that night.

…

The nurse and her friend had spent the cab ride discussing the encounter at the gym, Claire delighting in all of the awkward details that made her friend want to curl up in a ball and cry. Despite all of her teasing, she listened intently – enjoying her description of the lawyer in particular. 

“I didn’t know a grey jumper could sound so sexy…” The nurse smacked Claire’s thigh as her face turned a deep shade of scarlet. 

“It’s cute, honestly. Just be careful, okay?” Claire’s face grew serious for a moment, her eyes searching her friend’s face for something. Her friend agreed blindly as the cab stopped in front of her apartment building. She was suddenly glad she took a cab home; the night outside seemed much darker than it usually was – either that or some of the streetlights had stopped working. 

The nurse paid her share of the cab fare before jogging up to her front door, fighting briefly with the old lock before the door gave way. Naturally, she replayed the conversation with Claire in her head and thought more about what she said about the lawyer. Truthfully, she hadn’t realised she had noticed that much about his appearance but when Claire had (jokingly) asked what he’d been wearing, she was able to describe it as if she were reciting details from a photograph. She fumbled with her keys absently as she let the thought linger and slowly the realisation began to worry her.

‘Why are you like this? A man smiles at you once and suddenly you’re putty in his hands? Get a grip.’

Angry with herself, she threw open her door – switching on her hallway light as she stormed through her apartment. She switched on the television, unsurprised to find that the man in black had been pinned with the attack on the Russian mob. She admired the police sketch of the man for a moment, smirking at his idea of a costume. A scarf tied around his head hardly seemed like the most practical idea. 

She let herself into her bedroom and was about to rummage through her chest of drawers for a set of pyjamas when she heard something crash against the fire  
escape outside her bedroom window. She screamed, unable to stop herself as she whirled around – rushing over to the window. Her body froze as she reached for the latch on the window. Outside, lying in a crumpled heap on the metal landing, was the man in black. At least that’s what she told herself as the idea of it being a burglar was much less appealing. For what felt like hours the girl stared at the man, unsure of what to do. Should she call the cops? She shook her head as soon as the thought entered her head. They would lock him away in a cell and throw away the key. 

The stranger’s man battering against the window made the woman scream again. His gloved hands left a bloody impression on her bedroom window as his fingers slid down the glass. Upon closer inspection, the man was covered in blood – his dark clothes covered in rips and tears. She sighed; her decision made as she heaved open the bedroom window. Gingerly, she clambered out of her window and stepped onto the landing next to the man. She crouched down beside him and reached out, touching the back of his shoulder gently. He flinched, groaning like a wounded animal. 

“Can you move?” The nurse spoke clearly, surprising herself by how calm her voice sounded. She could feel herself slipping into work mode and was thankful she still had that capacity after the shift she’d just endured. 

“… Yes.” The reply came out as a chocked gurgle, she didn’t have to be a nurse to know this man was in trouble.

She encouraged the man to lean on her as she moved in front of him. The muscles in his arms trembled as the man struggle to push himself up, a growing puddle of blood had pooled beneath him and the nurse was surprised the man was still conscious. The man managed to sit back on his legs, the effort it took to sit upright exhausting him. The nurse watched his chest heave with effort, his bloody mouth gaping like a fish out of water. She wasted no time in securing her arm around his shoulders, practically dragging the man to his feet. He hissed, clinging to the woman with all the strength he had left. They stumbled towards the window, his grip on her waist painful as his fingers dug into her flesh. 

“I need you to hold onto the wall for a minute while I climb through, okay?” The man nodded, another stream of blood falling from his mouth. He didn’t even seem to be aware of it which worried her even more.

The nurse hurried over the window, turning on her heel to help the man through as quickly as she could. He brought one leg over then the other; taking a break after the first to catch his breath. The nurse led him over to her bed, throwing her blankets and pillows onto the floor so she had some room to work with. She left him once he had settled on his back and rushed around her apartment, gathering everything she needed to try and fix him.


	4. Cut Man

The nurse ransacked her apartment, tearing off her jumper and using it as a makeshift basket as she gathered all of the first aid she had in the apartment. She hit the bathroom first, snatching the green box containing the bulk of her supplies. She grabbed an armful of clean towels and a box of painkillers from her medicine cabinet before running back through to her bedroom. So many thoughts were swimming around her head and she didn’t have time for any of them, all she could focus on was fixing the man on her bed. She flipped on all the lights in her bedroom before dumping her supplies on the floor beside the bed. The stranger had passed out, his breathing slow and shallow. 

Her eyes never left him as she opened her green kit and tore open a packet of sterile gloves, she sanitised her hands before pulling them on in an attempt to clean her hands. The alcohol nipped at the cracked skin on her knuckles but she ignored it, clenching her jaw as she took a peak beneath his jumper. Her mouth fell open, there were so many wounds – all of them requiring some degree of attention. She contemplated trying to save his jumper but knew she didn’t have time to waste peeling it off his body so opted for the scissors. She cut carefully, leaning over the man in an attempt to get some leverage on the tough fabric. She noticed him stir and was glad he was still with her, trying to think aloud whenever possible in an attempt to get him talking. He would occasionally respond with warbled gibberish and at that point the nurse didn't expect anything more. Once the jumper was taken care of, she turned her attention to his mask and was suddenly hesitant.

“I need to remove your mask so I can get a look at your face, is that okay?” The nurse shook his shoulder lightly as she spoke but the man didn’t reply.  
She knelt beside his face, reaching over to pull the mask back when his hand latched onto her wrist, his head wasn’t tilted in her direction but he knew exactly where she’d been sitting. His peculiar movements gave the nurse pause, curiosity making her question how he managed it. His grip loosened after a moment but he didn’t let go. 

“I need to get a look at your face, I can’t know how bad your injuries are without having a look.” The man coughed, clearing his throat before rasping a gruff reply. 

“No, if they think you know who I am they will come after you.” The nurse scoffed, the gravity of the situation evading her for the time being. 

“I’d rather that than a stranger die on my bed.” His grip tightened to a painful degree, a silent warning.

“Please, you don’t know what they’re capable of.” Her curiosity was definitely peaked and she truly did need to observe his eyes for any signs of head trauma but she wouldn’t proceed without his consent. Even if he was being ridiculous. 

“Okay, do you want me to phone for an ambulance? There’s only so much I can do for you.” The man shook his head, relaxing his grip entirely on her wrist. He relaxed back onto the bed, his fingers feeling along the sheet on the mattress.

“It’s silk, ruined now because of you.” The nurse frowned, unsure why she was speaking so casually to this man. She imagined it was some sort of coping mechanism.

He fell silent then and the nurse took the chance to begin working, she reached into her kit and removed a bottle of saline solution and a packet of gauze. She snapped the tip off the bottle and soaked the rags – pouring the rest of the solution onto his chest. The man swore, his hands twisting the sheets beneath him. A pang of sympathy coursed through her; she couldn’t even imagine the amount of pain he was enduring in that moment. She apologised, being as gentle as possible as she cleaned his wounds. Once most of the blood had been cleared away, she realised only three of the wounds would require sutures. The rest could be closed with paper stitches. 

“Any wounds on your legs?” The man was glad for the break as he let out a long breath, his bottom lip trembling as he shook his head slowly.

“How about your back, anything there?” He shook his head again. The nurse made a noise of acknowledgement before reaching for a suture kit.

“Now, you need to work with me here. I need to suture a few of these wounds and I can’t have you passing out on me again. Let me know when it get’s too much and I’ll stop. When I’m finished I can give you some painkillers. I don’t want to encourage any excess bleeding in the meantime.” The man nodded once more, squaring his jaw in a futile attempt to ground himself.

The nurse pressed on, taking a deep breath as she leaned close to his abdomen – resting her arm on the man’s leg as she attempted to steady her arm. She tackled the deepest wound first, realising quickly that it was more likely a stab wound rather than a cut. The damage to the tissue ran deep and the nurse knew there was only so much she would be able to do. That didn't stop her from trying her best; after three rows of stitches on different layers of tissue - she managed to close the worst one. The front of her vest was covered in splotches of red as the blood covering his clothes rubbed off on her stomach. She checked in with the man, noticing the sweat leaving clear track marks down his bloody face. She worked quickly to close the rest, thankful that they weren't nearly as deep as the first one had been. Despite this, she could still feel her own sweat gather above her brow as she concentrated, securing the last paper stitch before taking a breath. For a reason unknown to herself at that moment, she took the stranger's hand, squeezing tightly in spite of the blood and sweat. She couldn't see his eyes but could feel him looking at the side of her face, lacing his fingers together with hers in a tender gesture she wasn't sure he was capable of until that point. It was a nice respite from the aching in her fingers and the stench of blood.

“You doing okay?” He opened his mouth to say something then somewhere along the way decided it wasn’t worth the effort. The nurse filled the silence again. 

“I’ve closed the worst of the wounds, I think.” The man opened his mouth again, his lips moved in an attempt to speak but nothing came out. His breathing grew frantic as he clawed at his throat.

She rummaged around her kit until she found her stethoscope, placing the buds in her ears as she felt across his chest. She listened to his breaths; her suspicions confirmed when she could hear the crackles coming from deep within his lung. She had to concentrate to block out the desperate gasps coming from the man’s mouth in order to try and source the damage. Once she was certain, she felt along the side of his ribs, feeling for the spaces separating each bone. When she found the right spot, she retrieved a needle aspiration set from her kit and picked the appropriate size before prepping the area with an alcohol wipe. Another squeeze of the man’s hand before she plunged the needle in. The man bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, leaving more red to coat the white of his teeth. The nurse removed the needle, leaving the clear tube in place – a steady hiss of air whistled out of the tube. The pressure continued to stabilise as the man finally took a breath, his pulse hammering away in his throat. 

“Fucking hell…” The girl lay back against the cool ground, silently praising her decision to go for an apartment without any carpets. All that could be heard in the room for a long time was laboured breathing. 

“Are you still with me?” Surprising her once more, the stranger laughed. It was strained and probably caused him some pain but it was genuine. 

“Yeah… Thank you.” The nurse laughed then, clutching her chest as the chuckles tumbled out. 

She returned to his side, patching up the new hole in his body before gathering up her used supplies. She eyed the ruined silk sheet and the tatters of his black jumper before jogging through to the kitchen for a glass of water. She returned and placed the glass on her bedside table. The man had pushed himself up the bed and was resting against the headboard, his head against the wall behind him. For the first time that night, she let herself begin to process the situation. The man looked like something out of a kinky snuff film; dressed in black, covered in blood and wearing a mask. The nurse watched him closely; partially to monitor his breathing but also to appreciate his physique. The thoughts in her own head started to embarrass her as she watched his muscles move, impressed by how strong he appeared - she concluded he'd have to be in order to survive the beating he'd just taken. Despite his injuries. the man appeared calm - eerily quiet and focused on something the woman was not aware of. She realised then she'd been staring at him and forced her eyes to focus on the wallpaper instead.

“Got anything stronger?” The girl couldn’t help but snort, the request almost enough to send her reeling. She could hardly believe any of this was happening.

“So you want to drink all of my booze and ruin my good sheets?” The man had to clutch his side due to the laugh that escaped him, it sounded more like a cough but his face was pinched into a grin.

“I think I’ve got some whiskey hidden away for a special occasion, how’d you take it?” It was the man’s turn to be surprised, he never would have expected things to turn out like this. Then again, he didn’t know her well enough to be able to anticipate her behaviour. 

“Don’t waste it on me then.” The girl rolled her eyes, rummaging through her drawers for one of her gym shirts. When she found one big enough for him to wear, she threw it onto the man's lap.

“A masked vigilante nearly died on my fire escape; I don’t know about you but that’s what I call a special occasion.” The man opened his mouth to argue but shrugged when he couldn’t come up with anything good.


End file.
